NTU EEE students built a hi-tech escape room maze

Coursework is taking a fun and practical twist for some undergraduates at NTU EEE – they get to design their own escape room game to apply what they’ve learnt in class and pick up practical skills. It’s the first time in the region that students have designed an industry-standard real escape game full of puzzles using advanced technology. Shermine Tan, a final year engineering student, said, “We searched online and there were many makeshift Arduino pianos, but we didn’t see any that used lasers to produce musical notes. So we decided to use that and improvise that idea.” Prof Perry Shum, Assoc Chair at EEE, said “This is what NTU wants. To equip our students with the skillset. Which after they carry our NTU degree, they work in the industry, they’re able to solve the problem for the industry instead of looking for solutions [and] instructions, they should be able to contribute.”- Similar broadcast on Vasantham News, 10 Dec, 8.30pm.

Participants of an escape room game has to interact with various hi-tech games to get hints to “escape” the room. The missions and hints in this 120 square metre escape room were conceptualised by students from NTU School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Prof Perry Shum, Associate Chair (Academic), EEE, said designing the escape room game is one of the school’s modules. Students can think of an interesting game idea and use different software, hardware and programming skills and knowledge to implement the concept. They receive more than 100 game ideas every semester, of which only about 20 will be used in the escape room.

An “escape room” game spanning 120 square metres with missions and clues is built by engineering students at NTU EEE. Associate Chair (Academic) of NTU EEE Prof Shum Ping said that designing the escape room is one of the modules at EEE, where students can think of interesting game concepts and use different software, hardware and coding knowledge and skills to create them. NTU EEE Year 2 student Qin Yu Xin who created the artificial intelligence robot said that the open-style module allows him to create a product based on a simple concept using relevant skills learnt and feel how it is like being an engineer.

A group of NTU EEE students have designed and built an escape room game that leverages what they learnt in school, including advanced technologies such as AI. Prof Perry Shum from EEE said the escape room provides students with a platform to showcase their creativity and problem solving skills. Qin Yu Xin, a third year EEE student, said he benefitted most from learning how to use the Python software for more complicated coding. The university hopes to leverage the escape room to showcase the new technologies developed by researchers.

Course assignments are now more fun and practical when students get to create "escape room" to practice what they have learned in class and to equip themselves with practical skills. This is the first time in the region that students created such game that is similar to industry players and full of puzzles using advanced technology. NTU hoped the experience will help students look at engineering beyond formula that are memorised from textbooks. About 40 students from other faculties have enrolled in the design process.

In what is believed to be a world’s first, students from NTU EEE have used advanced technologies such as robotics and facial recognition, to design an escape room game. Student Qin Yu Xin felt that the game allowed him to apply problem solving skills in the field of EEE. Prof Perry Shum, Associate Chair for EEE, said in addition to allowing students to enhance their problem solving skills, the escape room game provides a platform to attract potential students to enrol in EEE.

- Coverage on NTU EEE’s escape room built by students initiated by CCO.